The "What" of who I am
Often I find that a strong driving question does not begin with "Who" or "Why." I believe that the strongest questions for results start with "What."
I am a game designer, with a background in aviation, Biology, and construction. Currently, I am a Senior at DigiPen Institute of Technology, completing the Bachelor of Arts in Game Design (BAGD) program. My role within the team, is to use that knowledge, and work with artists to create an engaging and comfortable user experience in the HTC Vive. When designing mechanics, I coordinate with the team's artists to weave interactions into the layout of the rooms. This gives each room a sense of purpose, and avoids the interactions feeling like they were tacked-on after an environment was created. I focus on usability within the VR environment. I frequently test interactions to make sure they "feel" right, and behave as players expect them to. My testing also includes searching for things that may make players uncomfortable and addressing those problems. I take great care to correct moments that can cause "sim-sickness" in our players, and work to layout out rooms in a natural way that prevents the feeling of phantom collisions, or "ghosting," when colliding with objects in the VR world. For this project, I design events and areas in a way that encourages the player to search the space, and not realize that they are continuing to walk around the same 4x3 meter play area. I work with Bryan to bring the team's ideas for the game into a tangible, intractable existence. Needless to say, I am always grateful to Kali and Joshua, who make it much easier for us to work with the various components of the VR system. To create a better experience, I test features as they are are being designed, and I believe that only through testing can better game concepts be developed. |
Other Digital Student Projects
DominateTVEngine: Unity
Team size: 6 Role: Producer Dates: Sept. 2014 - Apr. 2015 |
A multiplayer, competitive, couch-play shooter. Players were able to build their robots, with each upgrade selection altering how their robot appeared, and controlled during combat. This fast paced arena shooter, allowed for players to customize their load outs to reflect the way they wanted to play.
This Junior project was a lot of fun to work on. During my time with the team, I managed the team, lead playtests and interpreted feedback from the playtests. Along with balancing abilities based on in-game metrics, I created some of the level music, and created the 3D models we used. |
Reverse Bullet HellEngine: Unity
Team size: Solo project Dates: Jan. 2016 - present |
A 2 player competitive bullet hell. Players compete for the higher score as both the boss ship, and the traditional bullet hell fighter.
This competition themed game was conceived from my curiosity of what it must be like for the people, or person, inside one of those enormous ships, and what it must be like for them to try to shoot down a tiny little plane that is slowly but surely destroying their ship. |
Will O' The FishEngine: Unity
Team size: Solo project Dates: Dec. 2015 |
A 2D side scrolling narrative using 3D assets, based on the river Styx.
This narrative game was an exploration of storytelling without the usage of on-screen words, dialogue, or complex models. Playing as a small wisp, the player must lead souls across the river, avoiding various hazards. By doing so, the player will eventually realize that their character mirrors that of the Ferryman associated with the mythology of the river. |
Analog Student Projects
DigiPen Puzzle HuntMedium: Mixed
Team size: 36 Role: Meta Puzzle designer, Producer Dates: Feb. 2014 |
A puzzle hunt consisting of 21 game themed puzzles. Designed to be completed by a team of up to 6 members in 6 hours. This live event is set to be run during the DigiPen LAN party in early March 2016.
My role was to create a meta puzzle, which used the answers from 4 other puzzles to create a new answer. I became a producer later on in the project, and worked to get the project on schedule for its finalization date. This was done through intense scheduling, resource allocation, and task break down. |
Solo Analog Student Projects
Paper Design Goals
When designing paper RPG's and simulations, it was really important to me to try to keep them short. I realize that many people do not try these genres because the volume of associated material is intimidating without friends who are already involved in it.
My design goal was to keep these short, and lower the barrier of entry by doing so.
My design goal was to keep these short, and lower the barrier of entry by doing so.
Island Survival
|
A 14 page simulation that was designed to offer a rough estimate of a person's ability to survive in an isolated island situation. This estimate was formed using several factors including calorie intake/expenditure, activities, and fatigue levels.
|
Survivor: a tale of infectionMedium: Paper
Dates: Jan. 2014 |
A 25 page RPG with a variable infection system, built in the apocalyptic remains of an outbreak that has overrun the United States.
The variable infection system was designed to improve player ability to continue after contamination, creating a future story element the GM could play off of, or allow to run its course. This created a unique relationship between players, and allowed for ways other than being bitten to lead to contamination. |
Contact Me